Career Questions
by emuroo
Summary: Remus has a Career meeting with his head of house, where many things are discussed, including werewolf registration, and what job he will hold in the future. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then it isn't mine.

Career Questions

Sixteen-year-old Remus Lupin was hurrying towards the office of his head-of-house, Minerva McGonagall. It was time for his career consultation.

From the moment that the notice had appeared in the common room Remus had known that his consultation would be different form those his friends would get. Even the professors knew it, since while the rest of the names were in alphabetical order; his meeting was to be the last one. He also knew that his friends had many more job options than he did. No one wanted to hire a werewolf.

His gloomy thoughts were cut short as he arrived at the door to McGonagall's office. He knocked lightly, and entered upon hearing his teacher say, "Come in."

He entered, a feeling of dread entering his entire body. He sat down in the chair facing her, and looked up. He waited, knowing that in a few mere seconds she would start to speak. Any hope he had ever had for getting a good job was vanishing quickly.

"Mr. Lupin," she began, "as I am sure you know, there are some rather special circumstances surrounding your career choices and future."

"I know Professor" he replied hollowly, "I probably won't ever have a decent job. No one will want to hire me. It doesn't really matter what grades I get, does it?"

She looked at him as though surprised that he was so bitter, then responded heavily, "You are correct. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to hold a job in the wizarding community for long. And the fact is, even if you tried to find muggle work, you have been trained in subjects that wizards need, but not those necessary for muggles, so you don't have the qualifications you would need for well-paying jobs. You have the best grades in your year in many subjects, but you are correct in your statement that it is unlikely to matter. Despite this you should still tell me what you would like to do if you could. Then there is one other matter we will need to discuss."

Remus wondered what else she could want to talk to him about, but held his curiosity in check, so that he could answer her question. It was something that he had dreamed of doing for years, though he knew he would never be able to. "I-I'd like to work with the department for regulation of magical creatures. I could work for stuff like rights for people like me. I know that it won't happen though." He knew that it was impossible, yet ever since he had understood how he would be segregated from humans, he had wanted to change it.

Minerva McGonagall looked at the boy in front of her calculatingly. She had known that he was a caring and smart boy, but this was something she would never have suspected that this was the job that he would aspire to. She hated to have to tell him that he was correct. It was unlikely that the Ministry would be willing to hire him, yet perhaps if Dumbledore spoke to the minister… Still it was unlikely. There was no point in getting the boy's hopes up. Finally she answered, "you are absolutely correct in your statement that you are unlikely to get that job, however, it is highly admirable that you wish to do so. What subjects do you wish to take, knowing that you are unlikely to be able to keep any job for long?"

Remus took a deep breath, as though he was hesitating about what he was about to say, but knew that it was necessary. Then he spoke, saying, "I want to take as much different stuff as I can, so that at least the Ministry and so on will be able to see that I am a good worker. If I am going to have any chance of success that will be it."

Once again Minerva was surprised. She had not expected that the boy would have such a clear understanding of his situation, but she was once again reminded that it was foolish to underestimate Remus Lupin. "That is a wise decision, I would suggest however that you drop Astronomy and History of Magic, as you are unlikely to need a history education beyond O.W.L. year, and Astronomy is your worst subject. You do realize that that will be an unusually heavy work load, even if you drop those classes?"

Remus looked at her seriously, and replied, "yes, I know, but I think that I can handle it."

"Very well then. Now, I believe that I mentioned at the beginning of our conversation that I had something else to discuss with you."

Remus looked at her, curiosity now shining in his eyes, and replied, "Yes professor, you did."

She looked at him sadly and continued, "When you turn seventeen you will need to go to the ministry, and register as an adult werewolf. They will put you on record, and so on. We have set it up so that you can go the weekend after your birthday, which we will make a Hogsmeade weekend, so that your absence will go unnoticed, as it will likely take all day. They will ask you questions about many things, including your plans for the future, which is why we are discussing this now. You must decide what you will tell them, and be prepared. Do you understand?"

Remus looked at her, sadly, as though he had expected this. He said, "Yes, I do understand, professor. I had some questions though, about my registration."

"Yes?"

"What do they do besides asking questions? And what sort of questions do they ask?"

Minerva McGonagall jumped, it was almost as though he knew! Her lips thinned, and then she began to answer the boys question, "They give you what is referred to as a physical exam. They will check to see if you are healthy, what, if any birthmarks or scars you have," at the word 'scars' Remus jumped, it was clear that he was very self conscious of his own scars, however he settled down and McGonagall continued her description of werewolf registration. "The procedure, though perfectly safe is very… intrusive. The examiners look at every part of you very closely. It is a rather lengthy process, because they do such a thorough job. It can be very tiring. They also put you through some tests of mental and physical ability. There will be personal questions asked of you, in such a way that you cannot lie when answering. It will not be one of the best days of your life by any means. By the time that you leave they will have an extensive file on you. They claim that they need it for filing purposes, however I personally believe that they are looking for weaknesses that they can exploit. You are required to go back every five years for an update."

McGonagall looked at the boy in front of her sadly, thinking what a waste it was that no one would ever give him a chance. He had so much potential, but no one could look past the fact that for less two weeks of the year he was a wolf. He looked pale, but determined.

He suddenly said, "I'm going to do everything right. They won't be able to find anything wrong with me, other than that I'm a werewolf."

There was so much determination in his voice that the professor could not help but be impressed. He seemed so alone, yet so determined. She then said, "If that is all, you may go."

He nodded, then stood and left. As he opened and closed the door, McGonagall thought that she saw black-haired head attached to a tall body meet him. It seemed that he was not so alone as he could have been, all things considered. She was left feeling as though the meeting had raised as many questions as it answered, though she couldn't put her finger on just what those questions were.

Author's note: I wanted to mention, if anyone is wondering why McGonagall talked about the werewolf registration almost a year before it is going to happen, I figure it is something that must be set up in advance, and she wants to get everything over with, in terms of discussion, at once. I hope that you liked it. Please tell me if you did. You can do that in a REVIEW. I promise that I will respond to all signed review, regardless of length or content.


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